New Venues Spark Up Fire for Dinah Vegas

Vegas is the spot for Dinah fun! (Source:http://dinahshoreweekend.com/)

Las Vegas heats up on April 24-27 with an influx of thousands of lesbians for Dinah Vegas, the Girlbar party in association with TruckStop Girlz and Total Rewards by Caesars Entertainment. Now in its third year in Sin City, the party is creating sparks with the recent announcement of some hot new venues for their lineup of amazing parties.

"This year, the Chateau Garden had a change of management, and they wanted to do an alternative lifestyle women’s event," said founder Sandy Sachs in a recent interview with EDGE. "It wasn’t even finished two years ago, but now, it’s breathtakingly stunning. You look out the window at the Bellagio, you look up and see the whole Eiffel Tower, and the hot air balloon at Las Vegas Paris. We had the dream to do this, but we never thought it would happen."

Sachs said that they also moved their Thursday night opening event from Rio, which was a costly cab ride from the Strip, to The London Club at Planet Hollywood.

The Friday night party, Bling 3, will be held from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. at the Chateau Gardens, overlooking the Strip and the Bellagio Fountains.

The Flamingo Hotel hosts the Saturday pool party (Source:Winnie McCroy)

Pool Parties and Roof Tops

As they did last year, Flamingo Hotel has reserved their huge pool for Saturday’s "Infinity Pool Party," featuring a pounding sound system and DJs, plus cozy cabanas and plenty of poolside cocktails.

And that evening, the Paris Rooftop Nighclub under the Eiffel Tower is the place to be for the VIP champagne party and Vegas White party, the must-attend event of the weekend.

"This year, every venue we got is just perfect," said Sachs. "It has taken us three years to get there, but we got there. I never thought that we would be here; I thought it was out of our league. To be there this year; well, I’m still pinching myself."

The events will feature the Girlbar and Truck Stop go-go girls, plus some secret entertainers still to be revealed.

Dinah Vegas is now attracting women from across the U.S., as well as far-flung locales like Japan, Tahiti, South Africa, Germany and France. Plus lots of Canadians, who Sachs said, "love the warm weather." She tried to bring over a Russian DJ who promotes gay events in her country, but couldn’t get her a visa due to what Sachs described as the "dicey" political situation.

The White Party is a classic staple of the Dinah (Source:Winnie McCroy)

Make ’em Laugh

Meeting women from across the globe is one of the things Sachs loves best. She told a story of meeting a tall, beautiful girl from Moscow on the first year, and introducing her to someone at the Rio party. The two women ended up falling in love and getting married, and the woman relocated from Moscow.

"They are the love of each others’ lives," said Sachs. "They come to our event every year now, to celebrate their anniversary."

Poker champ Lauren Failla will run the High Heels Poker tournament on late Saturday afternoon, at the tail end of the pool party. She will donate a portion of the proceeds to a women’s charity.

"That gives us something for everybody," said Sachs. "It is Vegas and these lesbians do like to gamble."

For those women who like a laugh, Dinah Vegas is featuring their first-ever comedy showcase, Funny Girlz, on Friday, April 25 with comedians Dana Goldberg and Poppy Champlin, in Planet Hollywood. If it goes well, said Sachs, they will try and bring comedian Michelle Balan for next year.

"We’re not sure how it’s going to go over, whether it’s one too many things," said Sachs. "So we’re starting off smaller, without so many events. I mean, how many pool parties do you need? We’ve made our mark, and it’s a different kind of event from Dinah Palm Springs. It gives people variety."

Sexy go-go girls make Vegas sizzle! (Source:Winnie McCroy)

Gather Your Girls!

It’s not easy to do business in the fast-moving climate of Las Vegas, said Sachs, but unlike Palm Springs, there are many more venues available that can don’t involve creating the atmosphere from the ground up.

"We had done every theme that there is, but in Vegas, we haven’t had to do anything the same yet," said Sachs. "There are so many different locations that it keeps it fun and interesting for us. We haven’t done huge amounts of marketing either, but the repeat business is there. I think this will be our best year yet."

When EDGE spoke with Sachs, she wasn’t only preparing for the events around Dinah Vegas. She was also preparing to tie the knot with her fiancée, who is expecting twins Brooklyn and Hudson around the same time as the festival.

That’s just as well; Dinah is all about family, so gather your girls, get your tickets and head to the desert for some fun in the sun!

Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women’s news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she writes about local restaurants in her food blog, http://brooklyniscookin.blogspot.com/